Lokpal meet

POLL PITCH

New Delhi, April 21:The Supreme Court today posted to April 25 the hearing of an application seeking a stay on the proposed meeting of the Prime Minister headed selection panel to pick the country’s first Lokpal.

A bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam and Justices Ranjan Gogoi and M.V. Ramana passed the order after counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO Common Cause, sought urgent hearing of the matter on the ground that the Prime Minister had convened the meeting on any date between April 24-28.

Incidentally, Chief Justice Sathasivam is himself tipped to be one of the forerunners for the post after he formally demits office on April 26.

The case, however, will be heard by a bench headed by Justice R.M Lodha who had earlier issued notice to the Centre on the NGO’s plea. Justice Lodha will also be the next Chief Justice.

Advani site

New Delhi (PTI):The website of L.K. Advani was hacked on Monday. The hacker, who called himself Muhammad Bilal, wrote “Pakistan Zindabad” on the site and called for an end to militarised governance in Kashmir.

The hacker began his message by saying “Good Morning Narendra Modi” and went on to raise the Kashmir issue. Advani, who was campaigning for the BJP in Vellore, was not aware of the hacking.

Star demand

Gurdaspur (PTI): Dialogues delivered by Vinod Khanna, the BJP candidate from Gurdaspur, remains in high demand during his campaigns. Khanna, a three-time MP, is locking horns with Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa, who is seeking re-election from this seat. On his campaign trail, Khanna welcomes dialogue demands and is seen obliging the crowd with enthusiasm.

Punjab votes on April 30.

Explosives

New Delhi (PTI): Over 800kg of explosives and 127 improvised bombs have been recovered by the CRPF from Maoist-affected areas since the Election Commission announced the polling dates on March 5.

The maximum ammunition have been recovered from Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha.

Code lift plea

Bangalore (PTI): The government in Karnataka, which went to polls on April 17, has written to the Election Commission asking it to withdraw the model code of conduct to enable it to take up developmental programmes. “We are expecting a response from the EC soon,” law minister T.B. Jayachandra said. The stalled programmes include distribution of free bicycles, books and uniforms to students.